Richard Aoki, in my high school mind, was the epitome of badass.
Back then, I only cared that he wore a leather jacket and ran with the Black Panthers. That alone made him a verifiable Asian American badass. He broke every uncool stereotype there was of Asian Americans.
He was a militant radical.
Richard Aoki wasn't just a Black Panther. He was one of the originals, their first gun runner, and eventually became a Field Marshall. He also helped found the Asian American Political Alliance and lead the Third World Liberation Front at UC Berkeley. And after that student strike successfully won Ethnic Studies for the campus, he coordinated the Asian American Studies Program. He later served as an advisor for Asians for Employment Opportunities, and as an instructor and administrator at Merritt and Alameda Colleges.
He remained active in his community through out his life, organizing and educating across racial lines for the common struggle towards justice. Who again could ever be Richard Aoki?
Aoki passed away this Sunday, due to complications from long standing medical problems.
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